ill 


UC-NRLF 


REPORT 


REGARDING  THH 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  PUBLIC  DOCUMENTS. 


VVASTTTXGTOX: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 
1880. 


V«/.  AC / 

REPORT 


REGARDING   THE 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  PUBLIC  DOCUMENTS. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT   FEINTING  OFFICE. 
1886. 


: 


49TH  CONGRESS,  ) 
1st  Session.       J 

SENATE. 

(  Ex.  Doc. 
\  No.  165. 

UITIVERSITY 


LETTER 


FROM 


THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE  IK  TER, 


TRANSMITTING, 


In  response  to  Senate  resolution  of  April  5,  1886,  information  relative  t<y 
the  means  and  cost  of  distributing  public  documents. 


JUNE  17,  1886. — Referred  to  the  Committee  on  Printing  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

Washington,  June  1C,  1886. 

SIR:  In  response  to  the  resolution  of  the  Senate  of  the  5th  of 
April — 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  be  directed  to  furnish  to  the  Senate 
the  name  of  each  person  employed  in  receiving,  folding,  and  distributing  public  doc- 
uments, together  with  their  compensation,  and  all  other  expenditures  made  on  that 
account  for  the  fiscal  years  1883,  1884,  and  1885.  And  also  to  communicate  to  the 
Senate  such  additional  information  or  suggestions  as  in  his  judgment  will  be  of  ad- 
vantage to  Congress  in  the  matter  of  legislation  touching  the  printing  and  distribu- 
tion of  public  documents — 

I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report. 

The  force  employed  in  receiving',  folding,  and  distributing  public  doc- 
uments during  the  period  above  noted  and  compensation  paid  the  same 
were : 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1883. 

John  G.  Ames,  superintendent  of  documents $2,000  00 

John  Long,  clerk 1,200  00 

Mrs.  Mary  Fuller,  copyist 900  00 

Mrs.  Mary  P.  Winslow,  copyist  and  stenographer 885  00 

Miss  A.  H.  Beals,  copyist,  4  months 300  00 

Miss  H.  S.  Murray,  copyist,  4£  months 315  00 

Miss  J.W.  Turner,  copyist,  4|  months 315  00 

Mrs.  M.  B.  Crouch,  copyist,  3£  mouths 265  00 

John  F.  Ford,  iu  charge  of  folding- rooms 900  00 

John  K.  Brown,  packer 720  00 

Johu  Wood,  packer 720  00 

Henry  M.  Middleton,  laborer,  4|  months 248  33 

Thomas  H.  Anderson,  laborer,  2  months 100  00 

G.  McC.  Fenwick,  laborer,  3|  months 141  60 

James  H.  Pitts,  laborer,  2f  months 147  00 

Cyrus  B.  Galhard,  assistant  messenger,  3£  months 202  00 

Pierce  Lafayette,  assistant  messenger 720  00 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending' June  30,  1884. 

John  G.  Ames,  superintendent  of  documents 2,  000  00 

John  Long,  clerk 1,200  00 

*Mrs.  Mary  Fuller,  copyist 900  00 


M69204 


2        MEANS    AND    COST    OF    DISTRIBUTING    PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS. 

.Mrs.  Mary  P.  Winslow,  stenographer  and  type-writer,  3  months $'225  00 

Mrs.  Anna  L.  Barr,  stenographer  and  type- writer,  9  months 675  00 

Mrs.  M.  B.  Crouch,  copyist,  13  days 31  80 

Miss  A.  H.  Bealf,  copyist .' 900  00 

Miss  H.  S.  Murray,  copyist 880  00 

Miss  J.  W.  Turner,  copyist    900  00 

Miss  N.  C.  Crosby,  copyist.fi  mouths 450  00 

Mrs.  W.  M.  E.  Smith,  copyist,  11  months 865  00 

Miss  S.  G.  Browne,  copxist,  6  months 450  00 

Miss  E.  15.  Foote,  ropyisj., .";.',  months 320  00 

Charles  W.  Chapman,  copyist,  5^  mouths 3*20  00 

John  (F.  Ford,  i.u  ch  ;•.)•;;•«  of  fold  ing-rooms 900  00 

Johu'K.  lirov/ii,  packer 720  00 

John  Wood,  packer 720  00 

T.  H.  Anderson,  laborer 660  00 

G.  McC.  Fen  wick,  laborer 660  00 

C.  B.  Galliard,  laborer 660  00 

J.  H.  Pendergrass,  laboier,  11J  mouths 622  95 

Henry  M.  Middletou,  laborer,  15  days 24  00 

Pierce  Lafayette,  assistant  messenger 720  00 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1885. 

John  G.  Ames,  superintendent  of  documents $2,000  00 

John  Long,  clerk 1,200  00 

Mrs.  Mary  Fuller,  copyist 900  00 

Mrs.  W.  M.E.  Smith,  copyist    900  00 

Mrs.  Anna  L.  Barr,  stenographer  and  type- writer 900  00 

Miss  H.  S.  Murray,  copyist    "... 900  00 

Miss  J.  W.  Turner,  copyist 900  00 

MissS.  G.  Brown,  copyist 900  00 

Miss  L.  M.  Gibbs,  copyist,  8£  months 708  00 

Miss  A.  H.  Beals,  copyist   S  months 60000 

Miss  L.  J.  Rav,  copyist,  3  months 250  00 

Miss  E.  B.  Foote,  copyist,  10  days 

John  F.  Ford,  in  charge  of  folding-rooms , 1, 193  00 

John  Wood ,  packer 660  00 

.John  K.  Brown,  packer,  24  days 44  85 

T.  H.  Anderson,  packer 660  00 

G.McC.  Fenwick,  packer 660  00 

C.  W.  Scipio,  packer,  11  mouths 605  00 

C.  B.  Galliard,  laborer 660  00 

C.  W.  Chapman,  laborer 

J.  rf.  Pendergrass,  laborer 660  00 

Pie'rce  Lafayette,  assistant  messenger 720  00 

The  other  expenditures  on  the  part  of  this  office,  connected  with  the 
reception,  storing,  and  distribution  of  public  documents  during  the  fiscal 
.years  1883,  1884,  and  1885  were  as  follows: 

Rent  of  rooms $465  00 

Printing,  including  blank  books,  blanks,  &c 2,  470  00 

^Stationery,  including  wrapping  paper,  twine,  &c 5, 944  00 

The  cost  of  tran sporting  documents  to  the  city  post  office  cannot  be 
definitely  stated,  this  work  being  done  in  connection  with  the  general 
delivery  service  of  the  Department. 

A  register  is  kept  showing  the  disposition  made  of  every  bound 
volume  distributed,  so  arranged  that  it  is  possible  in  a  moment  to  as- 
certain whether  any  individual  or  library  in  the  world  has  been  sup- 
plied by  the  office  with  any  particular  document,  and,  if  so,  the  dateol 
its  transmission,  upon  whose  order  or  request  it  was  furnished,  and.  in 
most  cases,  the  date  of  its  reception  by  the  party  to  whom  it  was  sent. 

It  is  only  by  such  careful  registration  that  duplication  in  the  distri- 
bution of  documents  can  be  prevented  as  required  by  law.  Under  this 
system  the  duplication  of  more  than  25,000  volumes  of  reports  of  the 
Tenth  Census  has  been  prevented. 


MEANS   AND    COST    OF    DISTRIBUTING   PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS.        d» 
ADDITIONAL  INFORMATION  AND   SUGGESTIONS. 

Regarding  " additional  information  or  suggestions"  that  may  be  of 
advantage  to  Congress  in  the  matter  of  legislation  touching  public  doc- 
uments, it  may  be  said  that  in  the  interest  of  economy  and  of  the  con- 
venience both  of  members  of  Congress  and  of  the  public  at  large,  there- 
ought  to  be  established  some  better  system  of  distribution  of  the  pub- 
lications of  the  Government  than  that  which  has  hitherto  for  the  most: 
part  obtained.  Were  this  work  systemized.  and  certain  changes  not 
interfering  with  any  public  interest  made  in  the  standing  orders  of" 
Congress  for  printing,  a  saving  of  $200,000  per  Congress  could  be  ef- 
fected, and  results  obtained  equally  as  beneficial  as  those  secured  under 
present  methods. 

From  $600,000  to  $800,000  of  the  public  money  are  now  expended  an- 
nually in  printing  and  binding  documents  for  gratuitous  distribution,, 
chiefly  by  members  of  Congress.  It  is  probable  that  a  much  smaller 
expenditure  and  fewer  documents  would  meet  all  reasonable  demands- 
on  the  part  of  the  public.  But  if  the  past  policy  is  to  be  continued,  and 
from  two  million  to  three  million  volumes  per  Congress  published  to  be 
given  away,  some  plan  ought  to  be  devised  which  should  effectually 
prevent  the  giving  of  two  or  more  copies  to  the  same  party,  while  others- 
equally  deserving  are  thereby  left  unsupplied.  One  great  evil  connected 
with  the  present  methods  of  distribution  is  this  duplication  of  documents,, 
an  evil  that  cannot  possibly  be  avoided  as  long  as  documents  are  dis- 
tributed from  different  offices,  each  in  ignorance  of  what  the  others  are 
doing.  The  extent  of  such  duplication  is  clearly  shown  by  the  data 
given  above  in  regard  to  the  reports  of  the  Tenth  Census.  These  reports- 
were  made  distributable  from  one  office  in  order  to  test  this  very  ques- 
tion, and  also  that  of  the  practicability  of  applying  the  same  system  to- 
all  public  documents. 

Duplication  in  the  distribution  of  public  documents  is  shown  also  by 
the  fact  that  in  the  effort  to  supply  deficiencies  iu  sets  of  the  Globe  and. 
Eecord  in  our  public  libraries,  more  than  6,000  volumes  that  were  held 
in  duplicate  by  these  libraries  have  already  been  voluntarily  turned 
over  to  the  Department  to  aid  in  this  work.  Above  600  copies  of  the 
Agricultural  Report  have  been  received  from  a  single  library,  and  from 
another  400  copies  of  Patent  Office  Reports.  These  facts  sufficiently  in- 
dicate the  extent  to  which  duplication  occurs  under  the  present  methods- 
of  distribution. 

It  is  not  probable  that  the  proportion  of  duplication  to  the  entire 
edition  is  less  in  the  case  of  other  documents  ordered  (as  are  most  doc- 
uments) for  distribution  by  the  Senate,  the  House  of  Representatives,, 
and  the  Department  or  Bureau,  and  sometimes  both,  from  which  they 
emanate.  The  cost  of  a  document  does  not  apparently  enter  as  an  ele- 
ment into  the  consideration  of  the  manner  in  which  it  shall  be  distrib- 
uted, the  same  rule  being  applied  to  nearly  all  documents,  let  the  cost 
per  copy  be  what  it  may.  Examples  may  be  cited  in  the  instance  of 
the  very  large  and  valuable  works  recently  issued  on  Vertebrata  of  the' 
Tertiary  Formations  of  the  West,  by  Professor  Cope,  costing  $10  per 
copy,  and  on  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  Floras  of  the  Western  Territories, 
by  Professor  Lesqnereux,  costing  $5  per  copy,  which  are  distributed 
from  the  Senate  folding  rooms,  the  House  folding-rooms,  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior,  and  the  Geological  Survey  ;  so  that  it  is  possible 
for  the  same  parties  to  secure  four  copies  of  these  volumes,  while  in  a 
short  time  it  will  be  impossible  for  any  one  to  obtain  a  single  copy  ex- 
cept on  the  payment  of  a  large  price. 


4        MEANS   AND    COST   OF    DISTRIBUTING   PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS. 

Duplication  does  not,  however,  result  solely  from  the  fact  that  docu- 
ments are  distributed  from  two  or  more  offices.  It  is  occasioned  also 
by  the  fact  that  in  many  cases  the  same  document  is  issued  in  two  or 
more  different  editions,  which  are  characterized  by  different  titles.  The 
Annual  Report  of  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey  may  be  taken 
as  an  example  in  point,  issued  first  as  an  executive  document  in  the 
"usual  number"  edition  of  1,900  copies,  806  copies  being  delivered  un- 
bound, the  remainder  bound  in  leather  and  delivered  to  the  Senate,  the 
House,  and  the  Department  of  the  Interior;  issued  again  by  the  stand- 
ing order  of  Congress,  as  one  of  the  regular  series  of  executive  docu- 
ments in  cloth,  1,000  copies  for  the  use  of  the  Senate  and  2,000  copies  for 
the  use  of  the  House,  and  bearing  on  its  back  the  title  "  Message  and 
Documents  Interior  Department,  Vol.  3,  Report  of  the  Director  of  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey, "and  on  the  title  page,  "Report  of 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  being  part  of  the  Message  and  Docu- 
ments communicated  to  the  two  houses  of  Congress  at  the  beginning 
of  the  first  session  of  the  Forty-eighth  Congress.  In  four  volumes. 
Volume  3."  Issued  again  in  a  special  edition  by  special  order  of  Con- 
gress, that  for  1883,  3,500  copies  for  the  use  of  the  Senate,  7,000  for  the 
use  of  the  House,  and  5,000  for  the  use  of  the  Geological  Survey,  and 
bearing  on  its  back  the  title  "United  States  Geological  Survey,  J.  W. 
Powell,  Director,  Fourth  Annual  Report," and  on  its  title-page,  "Fourth 
Annual  Report  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  to  tbe  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  by  J.  W.  Powell,  Director." 

TLie  Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  may  be  cited 
as  another  example,  issued  in  the  "usual  number"  edition  of  1,900 
copies,  denominated  on  the  back  "Executive  Documents,  &c.,  Vol.  13, 
Education  Report,  1883,"  again,  in  the  regular  cloth  bound  edition  of 
3,000  copies,  denominated  on  the  back,  "  Message  and  Documents,  In- 
terior Department,  Vol.  4,"  and  on  the  title-page,  "  Report  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Interior,  being  part  of  the  Message  and  Documents,  &c., 
Vol.  4";  and  issued  also  in  a  special  edition,  that  for  1882-'83,  7,000 
copies  for  the  use  of  the  Senate,  14,000  for  the  use  of  the  House,  and 
20,000  for  the  use  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  and  denominated,  "Re- 
port of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  1882-'83."  A  fourth  edition  of 
these  volumes  is  issued  by  the  Department  itself. 

Of  the  annual  reports  of  all  the  Executive  Departments  and  Bureaus, 
the  first  two  editions  above  named  are  issued,  though  of  many  the 
regular  edition  is  much  larger  than  that  given,  while  it  is  probable  that 
most  of  the  Departments  issue  an  edition  for  their  own  use. 

This  multiplicity  of  issues  and  variety  of  titles  very  largely  increase 
duplication.  It  doubtless  often  happens  that  members  of  Congress  mis- 
led thereby  inadvertently  send  two  or  more  copies  of  the  same  docu- 
ment to  a  constituent  or  library,  while  it  is  rendered  easily  practicable 
for  parties  desiring  extra  copies  of  any  of  tbese  documents  for  per- 
sonal ends  to  secure  them. 

Some  better  system  in  the  matter  of  giving  title  to  these  several  edi- 
tions of  the  same  document,  and  of  other  documents  as  well,  would  in 
part  remedy  this  evil  and  also  remove  other  inconveniences  very  often 
experienced  by  those  consulting  the  reports  of  the  Government. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  many  documents  must  be  delivered  in  un- 
bound-form for  the  immediate  use  of  Congress  in  current  legislation,  but, 
in  the  aggregate,  these  form  only  a  small  portion  of  those  thus  issued, 
chiefly  reports  of  committees  and  certain  of  the  current  executive  and 
miscellaneous  documents.  But  that  800  or  900  copies  each  of  the  quarto 
volumes  of  the  Tenth  Census,  of  Records  of  the  Rebellion,  of  the  Offi- 


MEANS    AND    COST    OF    DISTRIBUTING    PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS.        5 

cial  Register  of  the  United  States,  of  the  Annual  Reports  of  the  Bureau 
of  Ethnology,  of  the  Geological  Survey,  and  of  other  costly  scientific 
publications  of  the  Govern  men  t,  and  of  such  Annual  Reports  of  Execu- 
tive Departments  as  form  each  a  separate  and  entire  volume  should  be 
issued  in  unbound  form,  for  such  disposition  as  usually  befalls  these 
documents  seems  wholly  unnecessary. 

Reform  in  this  matter  will  consist  either  in  largely  reducing  the  num- 
ber issued  unbound,  carefully  discriminating  between  those  that  are 
and  those  that  are  not  required  for  immediate  use  in  legislation,  or  in 
binding  all  documents  which  constitute  each  by  itself  an  independent 
volume  before  they  are  sent  from  the  Printing  Office,  thus  making  them 
available  for  general  distribution.  Had  the  latter  been  done  during  the 
last  three  Congresses,  probably  not  less  than  150,000  volumes  would  have 
been  saved  for  public  use. 

DEPOSITORIES   OF   PUBLIC  DOCUMENTS. 

Provision  is  now  made  for  one  depository  of  public  documents  in 
each  Congressional  district,  designated  by  its  Representative,  and  two 
at  large  in  each  State,  designated  by  Senators,  additional  to  the  several 
State  and  Territorial  libraries.  These  depositories  receive  a  copy  each 
of  nearly  every  document  ordered  by  Congress,  the  notable  exceptions 
being  the  Congressional  Record,  Statutes  at  Large,  and  bound  volumes 
of  the  Official  Gazette.  It  is  probable  that  most  of  them  receive  the 
Gazette,  as  issued  weekly,  by  designation  of  members  of  Congress  to 
the  Commissioner  of  Patents.  But  the  receipt  by  depositories  of  the 
Record  and  Statutes  is  very  precarious,  depending  upon  the  courtesy 
of  members  of  Congress,  by  whom  alone  they  are  gratuitously  distrib- 
uted. These  documents,  however,  are  amongst  the  most  important 
issued,  the  certain  and  regular  receipt  of  \vhich  is  mosr  earnestly  de- 
sired by  those  libraries  in  which  they  are  in  constant  demand  for  pur- 
poses of  reference.  It  is  therefore  recommended  that  they  be  added 
by  special  resolution  of  Congress  to  the  documents  now  being  by  law 
regularly  supplied  to  depositories. 

It  is  very  much  to  be  desired  that  documents  designated  for  deposi- 
tories should  be  furnished  as  soon  as  practicable  alter  they  are  printed 
to  such  depositories,  as  many  of  them  are  amongst  the  most  prominent 
libraries  in  the  country.  Under  existing  arrangements,  however,  from 
one  to  two  or  more  years  usually  elapse  after  printing  before  they  are 
bound,  and  so  available  for  distribution.  Of  all  the  documents  of  thfe 
first  and  second  sessions  of  the  Forty  eighth  Congress,  numbering  not 
less  than  175  volumes,  only  36  volumes  of  the  first  session  have  yet  been 
received  from  the  Public  Printer.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  it  is  more  im- 
portant, so  far  as  public  interests  and  convenience  are  concerned,  that 
public  libraries  rather  than  private  individuals  be  supplied  promptly  with 
the  current  publications  of  the  Government,  it  would  seem  that  those 
designed  for  depositories  ought  to  be  given  precedence  in  the  matter  of 
binding  over  others,  excepting  those  required  by  Congress  for  legisla- 
tive purposes.  It  is  therefore  suggested  that  such  action  be  taken  by 
Congress  as  will  secure  this  result. 

If  delay  is  occasioned  by  the  fact  that  the  index  designed 'for  inser- 
tion in  each  volume  cannot  be  prepared  till  the  last  volume  of  each 
series  is  printed,  then  it  is  suggested  whether  it  would  not  better  sub- 
serve the  public  convenience  to  have  the  indexes  published  separately, 
in  a  volume  by  themselves,  and  thus  allow  the  individual  volumes  to  be 
bound  as  soon  as  printed.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  indexes  referred 
to  are  not  those  of  each  separate  volume,  but  of  the  series  of  executive 


6        MEANS   AND    COST    OF   DISTRIBUTING   PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS. 

or  miscellaneous  documents  or  reports,  as  the  case  may  be,  so  that  the 
absence  of  the  index  from  each  volume  is  not  of  material  consequence, 
provided  it  be  supplied  in  separate  bound  form  as  soon  as  the  series  is 
completed. 

Already  quite  a  large  number  of  documents  appertaining  to  the  Forty- 
ninth  Congress,  each  document  forming  a  volume  by  itself,  for  example, 
the  Official  Register,  Vol.  1 ;  Annual  Reports  of  Executive  Departments, 
Report  on  Tariif  Revision,  Report  on  Ordnance  and  War  Ships,  Consu- 
lar Reports,  &c.,  have  been  printed,  but  if  no  new  law  or  regulation 
shall  be  adopted  the  "reserved"  edition  of  these  volumes  will  not  be 
bound  for  eighteen  months  or  two  yeans,  until  which  time  depositories 
must  wait  for  their  supply,  though  in  many  cases  the  chief  advantage 
of  having  them  at  all  lies  in  their  being  promptly  received  and  thus 
made  available  for  public  use  immediately  after  publication. 

PUBLIC   LIBRARIES   NOT   DEPOSITORIES. 

There  are.  exclusive  of  depositories,  many  large  public  university  and 
college  libraries  in  all  sections  of  the  country  that  are  but  partially  and 
in  the  most  desultory  manner  supplied  with  public  documents.  These 
libraries  are  for  the  most  part  permanent  institutions,  and  in  their  pos- 
session documents  are  of  manifold  and  continuous  service.  No  argu- 
ment is  needed  in  support  of  the  proposition  that  definite  provision 
should  be  made  for  their  being  supplied  regularly  with  such  publica- 
tions of  the  Government  as  are  of  permanent  interest  and  value  to  the 
public. 

During  the  past  year  inquiries  disclosed  the  fact  that  of  370  libraries 
reporting,  excluding  those  supplied  directly  by  this  office,  the  docu- 
ments named  below  had  been  received  in  the  proportion  noted: 

Hayden's  Twelfth  Annual  Report by  1  in  4 

Vertebrata  of  the  Tertiary  Formations  of  the  West     by  1  in  12 

Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  Floras  of  the  Western  Territories,  Lesquereux by  1  in  9 

Second  Annual  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey by  1  in  6 

Third  Annual  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey by  1  in  5 

Second  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology by  1  in  3 

Congressional  Record,  Forty-eighth  Congress: 

First  session by  1  in 

Second  session by  1  in  5 

Of  each  of  these  valuable  publications,  a  large  edition  has  been  printed 
for  distribution  by  Congress  from  the  folding-rooms  at  the  Capitol,  only  a 
sinall  portion  of  which  has  apparently  been  used  in  supplying  libraries, 
though  there  is  hardly  a  well-established  library  in  the  country  that 
would  not  be  glad  to  receive  them,  nor  one  in  whose  possession  they 
would  not  be  of  greater  public  service  than  in  the  hands  of  ordinary  in- 
dividuals. 

It  is  probable  that  some  of  these  libraries  were  supplied  each  with 
two  or  more  copies  of  certain  of  these  documents,  which  would  slightly 
reduce  the  proportion  named,  but  at  the  same  time  illustrate  anew  the 
fact  of  duplication  and  of  one  of  its  attendant  evils,  namely,  the  failure 
of  other  libraries  to  secure  even  a  single  copy. 

These  facts  indicate  the  importance  of  some  permanent  provision  of 
law  in  behalf  of  libraries.  Such  provision  might  well  have  as  one  of 
its  results  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  documents  ordered  for  distribu- 
tion. As  they  will  thus  be  brought  within  the  reach  of  all  citizens  in 
communities  where  libraries  are  located,  it  becomes  unnecessary  to  sup- 
ply individuals.  All  libraries  receiving  documents  free  of  cost  should 
be  required  to  hold  them  accessible  to  the  public  for  purposes  of  refer- 
ence free  of  cost. 

Adequate  provision  in  this  regard  can  be  made  without  the  least  ad- 


MEANS    AND    COST    OF    DISTRIBUTING    PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS.        7 

ditional  expense  to  the  Government.  There  need  be  no  increase  in  the 
number  of  documents  printed. 

It  is  only  necessary  that  of  those  ordered  by  Congress  a  sufficient 
number  shall,  by  act  of  Congress,  be  set  aside  for  this  special  purpose, 
to  be  forwarded  upon  their  publication  to  such  libraries  as  from  their 
prominence  seem  entitled  to  receive  them,  thus  putting  them  in  posses- 
sion of  the  same  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment,  rather  than  com- 
pelling them  to  wait,  as  is  now  too  often  the  case,  for  months  and  even 
years  after  the  publication  of  documents  before  they  receive  thorn,  if 
they  do  not  altogether  fail  of  this.  If  it  is  deemed  unwise  to  set  apart 
a  portion  of  the  ordinary  edition  for  this  specific  purpose,  then  it  is  sug- 
gested whether  it  would  not  be  altogether  practicable  to  utilize  the  doc- 
uments above  referred  to  as  published  in  unbound  form,  and,  by  making 
provision  for  their  being  bound  in  cloth  and  devoted  to  the  use  of 
libraries,  save  them,  at  small  expense,  for  the  public  service.  This  will 
go  not  a  little  way  towards  supplying  important  libraries,  not  depos- 
itories, with  the  more  valuable  publications  of  the  Government. 

Another  source  from  which  they  might  be  supplied,  without  increas- 
ing expenditure,  is  the  surplusage,  after  the  distribution  provided  by 
law  to  Senators  and  Representatives,  remaining  in  the  folding-rooms  at 
the  Capitol  and  elsewhere,  regarding  the  specific  use  of  which  no  pro- 
vision by  law  has  been  made. 

This  surplus  in  the  documents  of  the  Forty  fifth  Congress,  after  the 
proper  Congressional  allotments  had  been  made,  exceeded  30,000  vol- 
umes, in  those  of  the  Forty  sixth  Congress  25,000,  and  it  is  probably 
not  less  in  those  of  the  Forty  seventh  and  Forty-eighth  Congresses. 
What  disposition  is  usually  made  of  these  surplus  documents  is  un- 
known to  this  office.  If,  however,  they  can  be  rendered  available  for 
the  use  of  libraries,  it  will  be  putting  them  to  the  best  possible  use. 

THE  SALE  OF  PUBLIC  DOCUMENTS. 

In  my  judgment,  some  more  adequate  provision  than  now  exists 
should  be  made  for  supplying  parties  who  desire  to  purchase  the  pub- 
lications of  the  Government.  The  present  provisions,  as  far  as  they 
relate  to  documents  generally,  are  of  no  practical  utility  to  the  public 
at  large,  it  being  required  that  the  party  desiring  to  purchase  shall  de- 
posit with  the  Public  Printer  in  advance  of  its  publication  the  esti- 
mated price  of  the  document  in  question,  while  at  the  same  time  no 
special  information  is  given  to  the  public  as  to  the  documents  about  to 
be  issued  by  the  Government.  Repeated  applications  are  made  to  this 
office  for  the  purchase  of  documents,  often  of  documents  in  its  posses- 
sion, but,  having  no  authority  to  sell,  it  is  obliged  to  decline  the  prof- 
fered payment  for  the  same,  and,  if  supplied  at  all,  to  furnish  them 
gratuitously.  There  is  little  doubt  that,  were  the  office  authorized  to 
sell  at  cost  price  any  public  document,  the  edition  of  which  was  not  ex- 
hausted, a  large  number  of  parties  would  be  found  ready  to  purchase, 
many  of  whom  would  prefer  to  buy  rather  than  to  solicit  gratuitously 
from  members  of  Congress  or  the  Department?. 

In  connection  with  such  provision  for  sale,  there  should  also  be  made 
provision  for  communicating  to  the  public  information  regarding  the  doc- 
uments issued  by  the  Printing  Office,  either  through  the  Congressional 
Record  during  sessions  of  Congress,  or  the  Patent  Office  Gazette,  which 
is  supplied  weekly  to  nearly  all  the  public  libraries  of  the  country,  or 
both  publications.  V.ery  little  expense  would  be  involved,  while  said 
provision  would,  it  is  believed,  be  very  highly  appreciated  by  a  large 
number  both  of  private  individuals  and  of  libraries.  It  very  frequently 
happens  that  the  attention  of  scientific  students  is  not  called  to  a  Gov- 


8        MEANS    AND    COST    OF    DISTRIBUTING    PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS. 

ernmeut  publication  directly  in  'their  line  of  work  until  the  edition  printed 
for  distribution  is  exhausted  and  it  is  then  too  late  to  secure  the  work, 
except  from  some  book-dealer,  who  is  at  liberty  to  put  whatever  price  he 
pleases  upon  it. 

It  is  very  desirable  that  of  the  scientific  publications  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  permanent  value  an  edition  of,  say,  five  hundred  copies  each 
should  be  printed  exclusively  for  sale,  so  that  those  to  whom  they  would 
be  of  special  service  might  have  the  opportunity  of  supplying  them- 
selves if  they  fail  to  obtain  a  copy  gratuitously. 

INDEX   OF   PUBLIC   DOCUMENTS. 

The  publication  of  the  Descriptive  Catalogue  of  Government  Publi- 
cations, prepared  under  the  supervision  of  Major  Poore,  supplies  a  need 
which  was  seriously  felt  by  every  one  having  occasion  to  consult  pub- 
lic documents.  This  catalogue,  however,  extends  only  to  1881,  since 
which  date  no  general  and  comprehensive  catalogue  or  index  has  been 
prepared. 

In  the  interest  of  Congress  and  of  all  the  Departments  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  of  the  public  at  large,  such  a  catalogue  ought  at  once  to 
be  compiled,  covering  the  interval  since  1881,  and  provision  be  made 
for  continuing  the  work  from  session  to  session  of  Congress,  so  as  here- 
after to  avoid  all  breaks,  and  also  the  necessity,  from  time  to  time  in 
the  future,  of  large  appropriations  for  doing  a  work  which  for  the  con- 
venience of  all  concerned  ought  to  be  done  year  by  year,  if  not  mouth 
by  month,  as  documents  issue  from  the  Printing  Office. 

REVISION   OF   LAWS   RELATING   TO   THE  PRINTING  AND  DISTRIBUTION 
OF   PUBLIC  DOCUMENTS. 

Great  inconvenience  is  now  experienced  by  members  of  Congress  and 
all  other  parties  who  have  occasion  to  consult  laws  governing  the  issue 
of  public  documents,  arising  in  large  part  from  the  fact  that  these  laws, 
whether  they  are  those  continuous  in  their  operation,  or  those  relating 
to  a  single  issue  of  a  particular  document,  are  nowhere  brought  together 
in  compact  form,  and  can  be  found  only  by  careful  searching  through 
volume  after  volume  of  Statutes,  while  the  concurrent  resolutions  pro- 
viding for  the  printing  of  documents  cannot  be  found  even  in  the  Stat- 
utes at  Large.  For  these,  resort  must  be  had  to  the  Congressional 
Record.  One  result  is,  that  very  fewmembers  of  Congress  are  informed 
as  to  what  are  the  existing  provisions  in  the  premises,  accounting  for 
the  contusion  and  errors  so  frequently  attending  discussions  of  this 
matter  in  Congress. 

This  evil  can  be  remedied  only  by  a  thorough  revision  of  all  laws 
intended  to  be  of  permanent  force,  bringing  them  together,  if  practica- 
ble, under  one  single  act  of  Congress,  while  provision  for  printing  a 
special  edition  of  any  document  should  take  in  all  cases  the  form  of  an 
act  or  joint  resolution,  or  else  all  concurrent  resolutions  should  be  in- 
cluded in  the  Session  Laws  issued  annually  and  in  the  Statutes  at  Large 
issued  biennially,  so  as  to  render  them  all  of  easy  reference.  Such  a 
revision  could  not  fail  to  be  of  special  advantage  to  the  Committees  on 
Printing  of  the  two  houses  of  Congress,  and  would  doubtless  result  in 
some  decrease  in  the  expenditure  for  public  documents. 
Very  respectfully, 

L.  Q.  C.  LAMAB, 

Secretary. 

The  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  SENATE  PRO  TEMPORE. 


THIS  BOOKE          ™L"«  To  N 

WILL  INCREASE  TO  So  CrN?«  ™E  PENALTY 
DAY  AND  TO  $i.OO  ON  TH V  ™E  F°URT" 
OVERDUE.  N  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 


LD21-10Om-7,'40  (6936s) 


Bind* 
Oaylord  Br 


U.S.  Dept. 

M6iJyU4 

of  the 

Z232 

U6U4 

interior 
Report  r< 

jgarding  the 

distribute 

!>n  or  public 

SEP  181941 

m^4 

f  9    f94t 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


